election

Berry's Next Step

After giving his victory speech, Berry said he wanted to "roll up his sleeves" and get to work. He's meeting Mayor Chavez tomorrow for lunch, and one of his first items of business is to sit down with councilors.

He restated the same things he said during his campaign: Crime is his first priority, and he's interested in hearing APD's ideas about how to address it. He wants to trim some fat from the city's budget.

Berry is the first Republican mayor the city has had for a couple decades. After tonight, the Council is going to lean Republican, too. But Berry says he's interested in working with everyone and just "doing what's best for the city."

Berry is the only candidate to publicly say he doesn't support gay marriage. When asked if he'd like to tell the gay citizens of Albuquerque something to ease their concerns, he said "Albuquerque is a great city, filled with great people. I want to be a good mayor to everyone." He did say during his campaign that he had no plans to change the domestic partnership benefits given to city employees.

The room has mainly emptied out, with more people cleaning up wires and cups than waving signs, but the excitement of Berry's supporters lingers.